The crop lifters include a pair of rotatable disks with rims that converge towards each other below and to the rear of their centers and that diverge from each other above and forward of their centers. As the disks are carried forward by a harvester, each pair of disks gather plant material, grasp the plant material, lift the plant material and then release the plant material above an elevating conveyor. The disks remain above the surface of the ground and are rotated by crop material as the harvester moves forward or are driven by motors. Flexible disks have rims that are forced to converge by slide bearings. Semi-ridged disks are mounted on axes that extend toward each other, upward, and forward from each disk center. A plurality of pairs of disks can be carried by one harvester. A knife severs plants from their roots forward of the conveyor.
The disclosure incorporates the crop lifter and methods disclosed in provisional patent application No. 60/362,433, filed Mar. 7, 2002, whose priority is claimed for this application.
A harvesting machine for vegetables includes a bearing structure mounted on rollers and a mowing assembly disposed in the front part of the bearing structure, aligned in a substantially horizontal direction, orthogonal to the advancement direction of the machine. The machine also includes a conveying surface consisting of a number of combs disposed parallel to each other, able to pick up the material cut downstream the mowing assembly and to convey it to an unloading area disposed on the bearing structure. The conveying surface includes at least a belt loop-wound around rotation device. Each of the combs is made of a number of mainly longitudinally developed flexible laminar bodies, transversally disposed with respect to the belt, the laminar bodies having an edge on their length fastened to the belt and the opposite edge provided with a plurality of harvesting teeth.
